A, P. and 0. Steamer in a Typhoon.

Manawatu Herald, 6 January 1898, Page 3

A, P. and 0. Steamer in a Typhoon.

The Hongkong correspondent of the London Weekly Times says, under date October 20th : - The P. and 0. steamer Kaisar i Hind, carrying the English mail of September 17th, was nearly lost in a typhoon off the Paracels on Thursday, the Ulh inst. Huge seas sweptthe qnarter-deck aft, gutting the smoking-room and the afttrdeck cabins, and flooding the saloon. The bridge was wrecked, navigation and steering having to be done from the hurricane deck. All the boats, one after another, were carred away, many of the davits being snapped off like carrots ; and owing to two of the gnys breaking, the funnel at one time threat-* ened to fall* awaying from aide to Bide some two feet out of the perpendicular. At the very height of the storm a huge spanner, weighing Bowt, was torn from its fastenings near the funnel and fell crashing down through two stout floors of iron grating into the fore* part of the engine-room. By the greatest good fortune it got caught and jammed (in the debris of iron bars which it brought down) jußt a few feet above and immediately over the steam-pipe, where, with splendid promptness on the part of the chief engineer, it was secured with ropes. Had it fallen a few feet further down it must have cut through the steam^pipe. This would, of course, have ment instant death to every soul in the engine-room and the oertain loss of the ship, rendered helpless in a tcgly terrific sea. With her totteriog funnel temporarily Beoured, and the plunging spanner made safe, she eventually straggled through, thanks to the excellency of her engines and the Btrength ol her steering gear. The Kftiaari-Hind is an old-ship, but a - splendid seaboat.